


Fools Rush In

by AuntDoe



Series: Who Cares Baby? [2]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coming Out, Developing Relationship, Gay Bar, Gay Pride, M/M, New Family, Protectiveness, Same-Sex Marriage, Songfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:53:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25837582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuntDoe/pseuds/AuntDoe
Summary: Sequel to Who Cares Baby? I Think I Wanna Marry You. This starts after Ben and Callum get to the airport. This will be a multi-chapter fic because people have asked for it. I hope you enjoy. Title was taken from Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: Who Cares Baby? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874818
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	Fools Rush In

**Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley**

**Wise men say**  
**Only fools rush in**  
**But I can't help falling in love with you**  
**Shall I stay?**  
**Would it be a sin**  
**If I can't help falling in love with you?**

Callum was happy to find out that he and Ben were on the same flight home, it was turning into a ridiculously small world. Maybe they would’ve met on the plane home, maybe they were destined together. He rolled his eyes, he was sounded like a hopeless romantic, that was something Ben should find out later in the relationship.

As they waited in the security checkpoint he looked over at his new husband. God, that felt so weird and good to say. It was like he had been living in a maze before and he just found his way out.

“Why do you keep on looking behind us, it’s very dodgy looking. You know they are going to pick you out to search,” Callum told Ben. Ben had been acting suspicious since they arrived at the airport.

“Works every time, I hope it’s a fit bloke this time. On the way here it was whale with a handlebar mustache and very grabby hands, still not the worst I’ve had.”

Callum wondered how experienced his new husband was.

“Funny, but seriously what are you looking for?”

“This might be a little awkward but the bloke I came with is about twelve people back. My seat is next to his. I wonder if he still wants to join the mile-high club?”

Callum forgot all about the man that Ben came to Las Vegas with. Ben said that he chose someone else over him, so he thought that was that. Callum turned around and started counting, twelve was a gorgeous dark-skinned man with the body of a god.

“Blue shirt?” he asked, not wanting to know.

“God no, that man would have had to burn me off of him. I’d have climbed him like a tree. The bloke beside him, yellow shirt. He left me for blue shirt, which I would have left me for so I can’t really blame him.”

Callum looked at the bloke with him. Early thirties, alright looking but nothing really special or great about him…looks wise.

“Oh, so that’s your type?” he asked.

“Yes, he’s minted and that is very much my type.”

“Well, I have about enough for a sausage roll in my bank account.”

“Good thing I’m after your body. Hey, do you want to join the mile-high club?”

“Don’t you think of anything besides sex?”

“Money?”

This was going to be a very long forever.

* * *

Callum did his first step in coming out…well beside marrying a bloke, he told his mates about Ben and the wedding while he had been at the hotel. He was a little more surprised when Marcus said that he thought he was already out, then Manny said that they always assumed he was gay because he never brought any women home. Then to top it off Larry said that now he was a little sad, because before he thought Callum was gay and just keeping sleeping with men quiet, but now he knew there were no men and that made him sad because that meant there was no sex. Callum decided to see if he could sit with Ben after that because he didn’t like the laughing at him.

At least they were alright with him, he really hadn’t been worried because they were a great group. Ben’s ex or whatever he was had upgraded and got his new bloke a first-class ticket. Callum was happy because he found out he was the jealous type, but his new husband was the flirtatious type.

“Excuse me, would you mind changing seats with me?” he asked the raven-haired woman that was sitting next to Ben now, she was in the aisle seat and he would like it for his legs. She was about their age and had been laughing at something with Ben when he walked up.”

“Oh, I don’t think so, I’m having much too much fun here. I always wanted a British husband,” she purred with a flutter of her eye lashes. She had a thick Italian accent.

“Well, see he can’t be your husband, he’s already mine,” he said, flashing his new wedding ring, it was a twin to Ben’s. The old one he hoped was in the bottom of a rubbish bin somewhere.

She stuck out the bottom of her lip in a pout, she probably thought it was cute, it wasn’t.

“Really? You’re gay?” she asked Ben.

“Really. Once, I was in an orgy with a rugby team, I think that’s pretty gay.

“If you’re really looking for a nice British bloke, my seat is surrounded by five of them,” he said pointing at where he came from.

“Really? Any married?”

“Try not to chat up the redhead, he’s getting married soon.”

She giggled. “I’ll try.” She got up and got her things out of the overhead compartment, he went and did the same to his.

Finally, he was able to sit beside his husband.

“Do you have to flirt with everyone you meet? And a rugby team?”

“It was an all gay rugby team if that matters, I think there might be video somewhere, it was hot. What happened to my nice husband, you were a bit rude to the nice lady,” Ben said, he was smiling though.

Callum shut his eyes; his new husband was going to drive him mad.

“Why does your mate keep looking over at us?” Ben asked.

Callum looked over and saw it was Larry, he did a thumbs up and a thumbs down with a sad face, it was his way of asking if they had sex last night. It was so not Larry’s business and he shook his head to make him stop. That was when Larry made the most exaggerated sad face he could and Callum, never being a violent person wanted to throttle him. Soon Larry was back to listening to whatever the pretty Italian woman was saying.

“So, tell me what your daughter is like?” he asked, deciding to ignore his guffawing friends.

“She’s me but smaller and blonde.”

“I’m in trouble.”

“Yeah.”

“What about her mother, you haven’t told me about her.”

“Lola’s the best. If I had been planning to get a distant cousin pregnant, she would’ve been the one I picked.”

“What?”

Ben laughed and gave him a quick rundown on his cousin Billy and how Billy’s granddaughter Lola came into their lives.

“So, want to join the mile-high club?” Ben asked him.

Callum could feel his face on fire. “That stuff really doesn’t happen.”

“It happened my way here.”

“What? I thought you said you wanted to know if he wanted to join after we got here?”

“It wasn’t with him.”

“You cheated on him?” Callum didn’t know what to think about that.

“No, we were both free to have sex with anyone we wanted. It’s how he found his new toyboy.”

“What about us?” Callum couldn’t have an open marriage; he wasn’t built that way.

“Didn’t think you’d be into sharing; put whatever speech you’re working on away. I wasn’t the one that wanted the open relationship with Greg, I’m not going to cheat on you. I won’t say I’ve always been faithful, but I will say since I’m not in the closet anymore I haven’t run around on the person I’m with. Not that there have been too many.”

“You’re my only,” Callum said quietly.

“We’re a pair, aren’t we? The Madonna and the whore.”

“I don’t get it.”

Ben looked at him. “The Madonna is a representation of Mary in art. You’ll see her in a lot of places. I read a book once it had a whole thing about the Madonna and the whore complex. It was interesting.”

Ben didn’t really look like the bookish type to him. “You like to read?”

“Not really, let’s just say I had a LOT of time on my hands with not much to do. I read about every book I could get my hands on; I pretty much always had a target on my back, so it kept me out of public areas.”

“What?”

“That’s a story for another time. Any more questions?”

“How many people have you been with,” Callum asked, not sure he wanted the answer.

“Fucked, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not really sure, but besides you only three mattered.”

“Really?”

“Yep, Lola, because I got my daughter from her. Abi, because she’ll always matter.”

Callum waited for him to name the third. When he didn’t Callum asked, “And?”

“For another time also. Alright, don’t look too obvious.”

Before Callum could question what that meant, Ben’s coat was over Callum’s lap and he was unbuttoning his jeans. Callum looked straight ahead, trying not to look obvious as Ben’s hand made its way into his jeans. He didn’t think he was ready to be married to someone like Ben.

He could hear Ben chuckling and knew then he was married to the devil himself.

* * *

Callum’s mates waved goodbye to him as they passed him and Ben. He would ring them later and set up a time to meet again. As he deplaned, he clutched his bag. Inside it held his new stepdaughter’s present. He needed it so he would win points with her. He also got a little something for Lola, Lexi’s mother. It wouldn’t hurt to buy affection this early, right?

As they walked Ben’s hand not so stealthily grabbed parts of Callum that made him blush.

“You’re a bit pervy, aren’t you?” he said, pushing Ben’s hand away for the fourth time.

“Maybe.”

Callum was thinking about what would happen once they left the airport. It was already decided he would live with Ben but that was up in the air right now too. Ben and his little family, which now he guessed included him, were moving to Walford.

Ben asked him to watch his bags while he went to the toilets. Callum agreed and stood there at baggage claim with their bags. He was people watching when he saw a woman about five or so years younger than him, she had bleach blonde hair, giant hoop earrings and tight-fitting clothes. With her was a little girl with long blonde hair and a loud looking pink princess dress on with a tiara. The little girl looked to be bossing the woman around. There was no way this girl was her daughter; the woman didn’t look like a mother.

“All right?” Ben asked, grabbing his bags.

“Yeah, just people watching. There’s a woman over there being bossed around by a little she-devil. I feel sorry for her parents. I think the woman is her nanny or something. You can hear how rude the girl is from here.”

Just as he was speaking, he saw the girl look his way and worried she heard him.

“DADDY!” the girl screamed, running for them.

Callum had never been accused of being smart and usually his foot was in his mouth but watching the girl he had just basically called a brat wrapped up in his new husband’s arms was a new low. Why couldn’t the ground just open up and swallow him. Ben was going to demand a divorce right now, he knew it.

“Hello, Princess,” Ben said, twirling her around.

“About time you show your face. I’ve been dealing with the diva over here demanding that I make the plane come faster,” the blonde woman said, who Callum now knew was Lola. God was he ever an idiot.

Ben sat the girl back down on her feet. “I’m sorry Mummy, I just really wanted Daddy to come home.” Callum could see she was giving her mum her best puppy dog look.

“It’s alright,” the woman said, ruffling the girl’s hair before hugging Ben.

It was then the little girl noticed Callum.

“Excuse me but could you step over there,” she said pointing a foot to the right of the little family. Callum did what was asked and stepped to the right. “More.” He stepped again. “More.” Again, he moved. “More.” He went to step again and ran into someone else. As he was apologizing the demon child spoke up. “There, you stay with them. Bye.”

Callum looked over to Ben and saw his new husband silently laughing.

“Darling, Callum can’t go with that family, he doesn’t belong to them,” Ben told her.

“Where does he belong?” she asked curiously.

“He belongs with us,” Ben said.

Callum heard a gasp and saw that Lola had zeroed in on Ben’s ring and then looked over at Callum’s.

“You didn’t,” she said her eyes wide.

“I did,” Ben said wrapping his arm around Callum’s waist and dragging him back to where they were standing.

“Dad? Why are you touching him?” Lexi asked, she really did look perplexed.

For the first time since he met the man, Ben took on a serious expression. He knelt down becoming eye level with the little girl. “I know this is sudden and you don’t know him, but you will, he’s a good man. This is Callum Highway, my husband and your new stepfather.”

The little girl looked at Callum with assessing eyes. “He is tall, that’s good. Is he rich?” She was talking about Callum like a stud at auction.

“No,” Ben said with a smirk, and Callum could swear Ben had horns with he smiled like that.

The girl sighed and shook her head. “No, Daddy, you need a rich husband so I can have pretty outfits.”

“Daddy, can buy you any pretty outfit you want, he doesn’t need a man for it.”

“Amen,” Lola said, holding her hand up for a high five. “What? No one? Really?” Callum heard her mumble after that, he didn’t catch it all, but it was something about mummy doesn’t need a man either and something about shoes.

“I got you a present,” Callum blurted out, looking for anything to break the little girl out of hating him.

“What present?” Lexi asked looking at his bag.

Callum unzipped the front compartment and pulled out the gift Ben has instructed him to get.

Lexi ripped it out of his hand and torn the wrapping off. “What is it?”

“It’s a unicorn plushie,” he told her.

“I love unicorns,” she said with a smile. “What do I call you?”

“Callum,” he told her.

“But when Jenna’s mum married the man that wasn’t her dad, she had to call him dad too.”

“You don’t have to call me that, you can call me Callum. After all we just met, and you already have a great dad.”

Lola snorted and Callum saw been glower at her. There was a story there, but he would have to wait to find out.

“Okay, Callum you can be my stepfather.” Callum knew without a doubt if she had chosen differently, he might have been hitching a ride back with his mates.

“Let’s get out of here, we have a spectacular homecoming to plan,” Ben said.

“Oh god, this is going to be a disaster,” Lola said.

“You’re not allowed to warn anyone, not even Jay,” Ben told her.

“Phil is going to have a coronary.”

Ben just laughed maniacally.


End file.
